These road-trips are important to keep James connected with the outside world. He would lose touch with so much that we all take for granted without them. As we approach the summer holidays and there is more time available, we hope to support James to increase the number of road-trips we can go on during the week. As his confidence grows, we hope to hear him saying that he is “Appy!” more and more!
There are theories that suggest that the Biblical character Isaac, son of Abraham and Sarah, may have been disabled. That one of the most well-known characters of the Old Testament, through whom God delivered the great Abrahamic covenant (Genesis 15:4-5), and who was an ancestor of Jesus, might have had additional needs, is really significant.
This is a question that is a hot topic at the moment, I get asked about it all the time, but what is the answer? Are there many more Autistic children and young people now that a few years ago, or is there another explanation for the changing data?
Reposted with kind permission of the author, Alison Morley
I’ve been thinking more about whether Jesus was actually disabled himself, and what we might learn from what the Gospels tell us about that experience. Here’s a few things that arose from this musing…
'The Unbreakable Boy' is a new film from Liongate, the people that brought us the film 'Wonder'. It follows the story of Austin (sometimes nicknamed Auz-man in the movie) and his family, as they journey and learn life together. This review asks some key questions along the way, for anyone journeying with a child with additional needs.
We have at least eight senses; five that we can all think of, sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch, as well as at least three ‘mystery’ senses that we might not know so much about, including vestibular (balance and movement), proprioception (body awareness), and interoception (awareness of what’s happening inside the body).
I don't know about in your house, but here Christmas is one of the favourite times of the year, especially for our son James who has multiple additional needs. A month on from Christmas and James was missing the Christmas spirit, so we got him to help make a reminder that he can look at all year round!
Wherever you experience or notice conflict, harshness, unkindness, lack of understanding, and other forms of negativity, let our first response not be to pay it back in return, but to take a deep breath, consider for a moment what might have caused that negativity, and make the choice to show kindness instead. Let us ‘Love one another deeply. Honour others more than yourselves.’ and turn anger, barriers, and criticism into alliances, bridges, and compassion. If we work together on this, maybe, just maybe, it can be as simple as abc!
The £740m announced today is welcomed and will have a positive impact. How much of an impact, and what that will mean for SEND pupils across the country, will depend on how quickly this funding becomes available, how it is distributed, and what schools use it for.
Delightful Handmade Dog Products and Gifts
An additional needs Dad and Son baking adventure...
Special Education Teaching Resources, Sensory Stories and SEND Information
The Additional Needs Blogfather 